Gibson County – Last night at approximately 10:40, Trooper Vennekotter was patrolling US 41 near Oak Street in Fort Branch when he stopped the driver of a 2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer for driving 64 mph in a 50 mph zone. When Trooper Vennekotter approached the vehicle, he detected a strong odor of burnt marijuana inside the vehicle. The driver was identified as Larry Morris, 49, and his passenger was identified as Sarah Ellingson, 29, both from Evansville. A Gibson County sheriff’s deputy arrived to assist. While officers searched the vehicle, they located a .380 Ruger pistol, a corner baggie containing suspected meth, a corner baggie containing a white residue and drug paraphernalia. Morris and Ellingson were arrested and taken to the Gibson County Jail where they are currently being held on bond.
Arrested and Charges:
Larry Morris, 49, Evansville, IN
Possession of Methamphetamine, Level 6 Felony
Possession of Paraphernalia, Class C Misdemeanor
Sarah Ellingson, 29, Evansville, IN
Possession of Methamphetamine with a Firearm, Level 5 Felony
Possession of a Handgun without a Permit, Class A Misdemeanor
Possession of Paraphernalia, Class C Misdemeanor
Arresting Officer: Trooper Alex Vennekotter, Indiana State Police
Assisting Agency: Gibson County Sheriff’s Office
-30-
RINGLE
All criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until, and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
                                   Location: GOP Headquarters, 815 John Street, Evansville
Â
                                   Meetings are open to all Vanderburgh County Precinct Committeemen.
Contact Office at 812-425-8207Â if you have any questions.
Have You Made Your New Year’s Resolutions?
Goal: The County Committee as a whole, and each member thereof, shall use his or her best efforts to engage with all voters of each precinct within the county to assist in the election of Republican candidates in general elections. To reach this goal:
*Â Â Â Â Â Our county party has a written plan of organization outlining the duties and responsibilities of Officers and Precinct Committee persons.
*Â Â Â Â Â Our county party has adopted a set of Resolutions covering important issues, e.g., Caucus Rules for Party and Public caucuses, Meeting Procedures, Financial and Property concerns, R License Plates, State Convention Delegates, etc. (and filed a copy with the Secretary of the State Party.)
*Â Â Â Â Â Our county party has a set of Goals for the year adopted by the County Committee.
*Â Â Â Â Â Our county party has a Budget and Finance Plan adopted by the Central Committee.
*Â Â Â Â Our county party has a website, Facebook page, regular printed or electronic
Newsletter, Phone Tree and/or Mail List for regular communications with the Central Committee, contributors, and volunteers.
*Â Â Â Â Â Our county party has a Calendar of Activities (party and community) that is available to interested Republicans.
*Â Â Â Â Â Our county party has a written Campaign Plan for election years.
*Â Â Â Â Â Our county party supports Republican candidates (after the Primary) financially and with technical support. We are a TEAM.
*Â Â Â Â Â Our county party recruits, trains and rewards volunteers.
*Â Â Â Â Â Our county party develops leaders by supporting party auxiliary organizations and party and/or community leadership programs.
*Â Â Â Â Â Our county party has a public relations program designed to shed a positive light on the Republican Party and its candidates and officeholders.
*Â Â Â Â Â Our county party maintains regular contact with Republican officeholders at the local, State and National levels.
*Â Â Â Â Â Our county party is regularly involved in community events (parades, forums, festivals, etc.).
*Â Â Â Â Â Our county party is involved in charitable activities and supports programs for different age groups.
*Â Â Â Â Â Our county party promotes the republican form of government and American values.
ATTORNEY GENERAL-ELECT ROKITA ANNOUNCES TORRES AS CHIEF DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL
Indianapolis, Indiana (December 30, 2020) – Indiana Attorney General-Elect Todd Rokita has selected Lori Torres to serve as Chief Deputy Attorney General and Chief of Staff in his new administration beginning January 11, 2021. Torres is the current Inspector General for Indiana, appointed to that post in 2017 by Governor Eric Holcomb.
 “I am thrilled to have Inspector General Lori Torres joining our Administration as Chief Deputy and Chief of Staff. She is a skilled lawyer of the highest integrity and exactly the type of leader we need to take action for the citizens of our great state on day one,” said Attorney General-Elect Rokita.
Torres is a veteran public servant, having served as the Indiana Commissioner of Labor under Governor Mitch Daniels and as the former General Counsel and Deputy Commissioner for the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT). During her time at INDOT, she led a team of 100 people and consistently delivered results that were on time and on budget. She has practiced law for more than thirty years, including in private practice at Smart, Kessler & Torres in Johnson County for fifteen years and more recently at Ice Miller in Indianapolis.
As the Inspector General, Torres is charged with addressing fraud, waste, abuse, mismanagement, and wrongdoing in state government, experience she believes will be an asset in the Attorney General’s Office. “In the Inspector General’s office, we fostered a culture of integrity that contributed to public confidence in state government, a value I know is shared by Attorney General-Elect Rokita. The Office of the Attorney General plays an important role in protecting our freedoms and holding those that would do harm to Hoosiers accountable, and I am excited to help lead the team,” said Torres.
In addition to her new role in the administration as Chief Deputy Attorney General, Torres will serve as the Chief of Staff. She has also joined the transition team for Attorney General-Elect Todd Rokita as co-chair.
“Having served in leadership positions in three agencies, Lori understands how operations, policy, and the law intersect. I am grateful for her service as the Inspector General for Indiana and her continued service in this new role. With her, we gain the highest level of ethics, integrity, expertise and leadership, which will be a great benefit to the office and to the State of Indiana,” said Rokita.
Ms. Torres graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Indiana University Bloomington and received her law degree cum laude from the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law. She is a graduate of Indiana University in Bloomington and the IU McKinney School of Law in Indianapolis. She lives with her family in Johnson County.
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Thinking back to my days playing college basketball, I always wanted to defy expectations. Even when facing our toughest competition, with our only hope being to keep the score close enough to win on a buzzer-beating shot, I wanted to win and to win big. The success of Indiana’s Republican Party is built on a similar approach.
We don’t want to win; we want to run up the score and continually defy expectations.
And through the tireless efforts of our volunteers, the constant generosity of our donors and the relentless pursuit of governing excellence by our elected officials, we’ve put in place a model of success that can -Â and should – be replicated by Republicans nationwide.
We invest in the fundamentals of grassroots politics, we draw up policy game plans that notch wins for Hoosiers, and we always have an eye on making our team bigger, stronger, and better in the long run.
From the time I became chairman, we immediately put an emphasis on data, including hiring two full-time staffers to procure and analyze data that could be utilized to connect with voters. Over the past two election cycles, that investment has yielded over 8.5 million voter contacts, 1.5 million at doors, 4.5 million over the phone and 2.5 million by text message.
To fuel Republican efforts up and down the ticket, State Party and Governor Holcomb’s campaign combined forces on fundraising. With the added strength of this first-of-its-kind joint-fundraising effort, over $25 million was raised over the four-year cycle breaking records for both entities. The real-world impact is seen when the two entities were able to invest $400,000 in the Attorney General and Statehouse races over the last three weeks of the campaign.
After a strong showing for Indiana Republicans in 2016, many thought the party had reached its apex. But we doubled down and targeted more wins. And they came.Knocking off an incumbent in the top targeted U.S. Senate race in 2018. Setting a new all-time high for mayors by winning 71 in 2019. And in 2020 we set a new high mark for votes for Governor Holcomb and we won the second most competitive U.S. House race in 2020.
And we are not done. On November 4th, we started planning for more wins in 2022.
There is still room to grow. We have long been a leader in promoting women and have four female statewide elected officials and two members of Congress – but we need more. And our party has initiated a first of its kind diversity program to help establish better trust and connection between Black and Latino Hoosiers and Indiana’s Republican Party.
I’ve told my team on more than one occasion that winning the first championship is easy. But winning year after year requires four or five times the effort than the first. It means staying true to core beliefs and values. It means fighting for economic opportunity for every American. It means showing compassion to all and including everyone in the conversation. It means going to places where we haven’t been welcomed before. It means thinking big and offering bold solutions to our nation’s challenges.
That’s the Indiana model of politics and policy and why our campaign theme this year was One Indiana – For All. It’s a model that continues to defy expectations. I wish you all a happy New Year, with an even brighter 2021 to come.
Happy New Year,
Kyle Hupfer
Chairman, Indiana Republican Party
Note from Senator Braun
I will not be voting to certify the election results. Read more below about our important effort to investigate unprecedented allegations of voter fraud and illegal conduct in the 2020 election.
– Sen. Mike Braun
The senators and senators-elect are calling for Congress to appoint a commission to conduct a 10-day emergency audit of the election returns in states where the results are disputed. https://t.co/8FlrpgIYoa
A coalition of GOP senators and senators-elect, led by Sen. Ted Cruz, will object to the Jan. 6 certification of the presidential election results when a joint session of Congress meets next week unless there is an emergency 10-day audit of the results by an electoral commission.
Cruz — along with Sens. Ron Johnson, R-Wis.; James Lankford, R-Okla.; Steve Daines, R-Mont.; John Kennedy, R-La.; Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Mike Braun, R-Ind.; as well as Sens.-elect Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo.; Roger Marshall, R-Kansas; Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., and Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala. — say that the election “featured unprecedented allegations of voter fraud and illegal conduct.”
Their effort is separate from one announced by Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., who said this week that he would object to what he said was the failure of some states — most notably Pennsylvania — to follow their own election laws.
 “Voter fraud has posed a persistent challenge in our elections, although its breadth and scope are disputed. By any measure, the allegations of fraud and irregularities in the 2020 election exceed any in our lifetimes,” the lawmakers say in a statement.
A source familiar with the effort told Fox News that it was Cruz who orchestrated the effort, working with other senators to organize the push against the certification and call for the electoral commission with just days to go before the joint session of Congress.
The lawmakers say there is a precedent of Democrats objecting to election results in 1969, 2001, 2005 and 2019: “And, in both 1969 and 2005, a Democratic Senator joined with a Democratic House Member in forcing votes in both houses on whether to accept the presidential electors being challenged,” they say.
Cruz: I agreed to argue Pa. election case because US needs ‘resolution’. The senators and senators-elect are calling for Congress to appoint an Electoral Commission to conduct a 10-day emergency audit of the election returns in states where the results are disputed. They cite as precedent the 1877 between Samuel Hayes and Rutherford Hayes, where there were allegations of fraud in multiple states.
“In 1877, Congress did not ignore those allegations, nor did the media simply dismiss those raising them as radicals trying to undermine democracy,” the lawmakers say. “Instead, Congress appointed an Electoral Commission — consisting of five Senators, five House Members, and five Supreme Court Justices — to consider and resolve the disputed returns.”
“We should follow that precedent. To wit, Congress should immediately appoint an Electoral Commission, with full investigatory and fact-finding authority, to conduct an emergency 10-day audit of the election returns in the disputed states. Once completed, individual states would evaluate the Commission’s findings and could convene a special legislative session to certify a change in their vote, if needed,” they say.
Without that, they will vote against the certification.
“Accordingly, we intend to vote on January 6 to reject the electors from disputed states as not ‘regularly given’ and ‘lawfully certified’ (the statutory requisite), unless and until that emergency 10-day audit is completed,” they say in the statement.
It is unclear whether they will rally more Republicans to their cause, and the lawmakers note that most Democrats and some Republicans will vote to certify the results, but say that an audit would increase the public’s faith in the process.
“These are matters worthy of the Congress, and entrusted to us to defend. We do not take this action lightly. We are acting not to thwart the democratic process, but rather to protect it,” they say. “And every one of us should act together to ensure that the election was lawfully conducted under the Constitution and to do everything we can to restore faith in our Democracy.”
The new effort by the senators marks a major win for President Trump’s efforts to challenge the results of the election. Trump has repeatedly claimed he beat Biden, who flipped a number of red states including Georgia and Arizona to get over the 270 Electoral College votes needed to secure the White House.
Trump’s campaign has launched a number of legal challenges, while Trump himself has urged states with Republican governors and legislatures to overturn Biden’s victories — as he alleges widespread voter fraud tilted the scales to Biden.
Senate GOP leaders are against efforts to challenge Biden’s win, with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell recognizing the former vice president’s victory, and behind closed doors urging Senate Republicans not to contest the election results.
But if the GOP senators object, with a similar effort by House Republicans, the joint session of Congress would be dissolved and the House and Senate would then meet separately for two hours to debate a contested state’s electoral vote.
Each body would then vote whether to accept or reject that state’s slate of electoral votes. Then the House and Senate reconvene in the joint session.
In the House, at least 10 incoming House GOP freshmen will back Rep. Mo Brooks’ effort to object to the certification of the presidential election results on Jan. 6.
The last time this happened (and only the second time in U.S. history) was in January 2005, following President’ George W. Bush’s narrow reelection victory over Democratic challenger Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts. One Senate Democrat – Sen. Barbara Boxer of California – and one House Democrat – Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones – objected. In 2017, a handful of House Democrats objected to Trump’s victory over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, but no Senate Democrats joined them.
A state’s slate of electoral votes would only be thrown out if both the House and Senate vote to do so — something that is unlikely given the Democratic majority in the House, and the push by GOP Senate leaders to certify.
                                   Location: GOP Headquarters, 815 John Street, Evansville
Â
                                   Meetings are open to all Vanderburgh County Precinct Committeemen.
Contact Office at 812-425-8207Â if you have any questions.
Have You Made Your New Year’s Resolutions?
Goal: The County Committee as a whole, and each member thereof, shall use his or her best efforts to engage with all voters of each precinct within the county to assist in the election of Republican candidates in general elections. To reach this goal:
*Â Â Â Â Â Our county party has a written plan of organization outlining the duties and responsibilities of Officers and Precinct Committee persons.
*Â Â Â Â Â Our county party has adopted a set of Resolutions covering important issues, e.g., Caucus Rules for Party and Public caucuses, Meeting Procedures, Financial and Property concerns, R License Plates, State Convention Delegates, etc. (and filed a copy with the Secretary of the State Party.)
*Â Â Â Â Â Our county party has a set of Goals for the year adopted by the County Committee.
*Â Â Â Â Â Our county party has a Budget and Finance Plan adopted by the Central Committee.
*Â Â Â Â Our county party has a website, Facebook page, regular printed or electronic
Newsletter, Phone Tree and/or Mail List for regular communications with the Central Committee, contributors, and volunteers.
*Â Â Â Â Â Our county party has a Calendar of Activities (party and community) that is available to interested Republicans.
*Â Â Â Â Â Our county party has a written Campaign Plan for election years.
*Â Â Â Â Â Our county party supports Republican candidates (after the Primary) financially and with technical support. We are a TEAM.
*Â Â Â Â Â Our county party recruits, trains and rewards volunteers.
*Â Â Â Â Â Our county party develops leaders by supporting party auxiliary organizations and party and/or community leadership programs.
*Â Â Â Â Â Our county party has a public relations program designed to shed a positive light on the Republican Party and its candidates and officeholders.
*Â Â Â Â Â Our county party maintains regular contact with Republican officeholders at the local, State and National levels.
*Â Â Â Â Â Our county party is regularly involved in community events (parades, forums, festivals, etc.).
*Â Â Â Â Â Our county party is involved in charitable activities and supports programs for different age groups.
*Â Â Â Â Â Our county party promotes the republican form of government and American values.
ATTORNEY GENERAL-ELECT ROKITA ANNOUNCES TORRES AS CHIEF DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL
Indianapolis, Indiana (December 30, 2020) – Indiana Attorney General-Elect Todd Rokita has selected Lori Torres to serve as Chief Deputy Attorney General and Chief of Staff in his new administration beginning January 11, 2021. Torres is the current Inspector General for Indiana, appointed to that post in 2017 by Governor Eric Holcomb.
 “I am thrilled to have Inspector General Lori Torres joining our Administration as Chief Deputy and Chief of Staff. She is a skilled lawyer of the highest integrity and exactly the type of leader we need to take action for the citizens of our great state on day one,” said Attorney General-Elect Rokita.
Torres is a veteran public servant, having served as the Indiana Commissioner of Labor under Governor Mitch Daniels and as the former General Counsel and Deputy Commissioner for the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT). During her time at INDOT, she led a team of 100 people and consistently delivered results that were on time and on budget. She has practiced law for more than thirty years, including in private practice at Smart, Kessler & Torres in Johnson County for fifteen years and more recently at Ice Miller in Indianapolis.
As the Inspector General, Torres is charged with addressing fraud, waste, abuse, mismanagement, and wrongdoing in state government, experience she believes will be an asset in the Attorney General’s Office. “In the Inspector General’s office, we fostered a culture of integrity that contributed to public confidence in state government, a value I know is shared by Attorney General-Elect Rokita. The Office of the Attorney General plays an important role in protecting our freedoms and holding those that would do harm to Hoosiers accountable, and I am excited to help lead the team,” said Torres.
In addition to her new role in the administration as Chief Deputy Attorney General, Torres will serve as the Chief of Staff. She has also joined the transition team for Attorney General-Elect Todd Rokita as co-chair.
“Having served in leadership positions in three agencies, Lori understands how operations, policy, and the law intersect. I am grateful for her service as the Inspector General for Indiana and her continued service in this new role. With her, we gain the highest level of ethics, integrity, expertise and leadership, which will be a great benefit to the office and to the State of Indiana,” said Rokita.
Ms. Torres graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Indiana University Bloomington and received her law degree cum laude from the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law. She is a graduate of Indiana University in Bloomington and the IU McKinney School of Law in Indianapolis. She lives with her family in Johnson County.
scvasvasvasv
Â
Thinking back to my days playing college basketball, I always wanted to defy expectations. Even when facing our toughest competition, with our only hope being to keep the score close enough to win on a buzzer-beating shot, I wanted to win and to win big. The success of Indiana’s Republican Party is built on a similar approach.
We don’t want to win; we want to run up the score and continually defy expectations.
And through the tireless efforts of our volunteers, the constant generosity of our donors and the relentless pursuit of governing excellence by our elected officials, we’ve put in place a model of success that can -Â and should – be replicated by Republicans nationwide.
We invest in the fundamentals of grassroots politics, we draw up policy game plans that notch wins for Hoosiers, and we always have an eye on making our team bigger, stronger, and better in the long run.
From the time I became chairman, we immediately put an emphasis on data, including hiring two full-time staffers to procure and analyze data that could be utilized to connect with voters. Over the past two election cycles, that investment has yielded over 8.5 million voter contacts, 1.5 million at doors, 4.5 million over the phone and 2.5 million by text message.
To fuel Republican efforts up and down the ticket, State Party and Governor Holcomb’s campaign combined forces on fundraising. With the added strength of this first-of-its-kind joint-fundraising effort, over $25 million was raised over the four-year cycle breaking records for both entities. The real-world impact is seen when the two entities were able to invest $400,000 in the Attorney General and Statehouse races over the last three weeks of the campaign.
After a strong showing for Indiana Republicans in 2016, many thought the party had reached its apex. But we doubled down and targeted more wins. And they came.Knocking off an incumbent in the top targeted U.S. Senate race in 2018. Setting a new all-time high for mayors by winning 71 in 2019. And in 2020 we set a new high mark for votes for Governor Holcomb and we won the second most competitive U.S. House race in 2020.
And we are not done. On November 4th, we started planning for more wins in 2022.
There is still room to grow. We have long been a leader in promoting women and have four female statewide elected officials and two members of Congress – but we need more. And our party has initiated a first of its kind diversity program to help establish better trust and connection between Black and Latino Hoosiers and Indiana’s Republican Party.
I’ve told my team on more than one occasion that winning the first championship is easy. But winning year after year requires four or five times the effort than the first. It means staying true to core beliefs and values. It means fighting for economic opportunity for every American. It means showing compassion to all and including everyone in the conversation. It means going to places where we haven’t been welcomed before. It means thinking big and offering bold solutions to our nation’s challenges.
That’s the Indiana model of politics and policy and why our campaign theme this year was One Indiana – For All. It’s a model that continues to defy expectations. I wish you all a happy New Year, with an even brighter 2021 to come.
Happy New Year,
Kyle Hupfer
Chairman, Indiana Republican Party
Note from Senator Braun
I will not be voting to certify the election results. Read more below about our important effort to investigate unprecedented allegations of voter fraud and illegal conduct in the 2020 election.
– Sen. Mike Braun
The senators and senators-elect are calling for Congress to appoint a commission to conduct a 10-day emergency audit of the election returns in states where the results are disputed. https://t.co/8FlrpgIYoa
A coalition of GOP senators and senators-elect, led by Sen. Ted Cruz, will object to the Jan. 6 certification of the presidential election results when a joint session of Congress meets next week unless there is an emergency 10-day audit of the results by an electoral commission.
Cruz — along with Sens. Ron Johnson, R-Wis.; James Lankford, R-Okla.; Steve Daines, R-Mont.; John Kennedy, R-La.; Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Mike Braun, R-Ind.; as well as Sens.-elect Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo.; Roger Marshall, R-Kansas; Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., and Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala. — say that the election “featured unprecedented allegations of voter fraud and illegal conduct.”
Their effort is separate from one announced by Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., who said this week that he would object to what he said was the failure of some states — most notably Pennsylvania — to follow their own election laws.
 “Voter fraud has posed a persistent challenge in our elections, although its breadth and scope are disputed. By any measure, the allegations of fraud and irregularities in the 2020 election exceed any in our lifetimes,” the lawmakers say in a statement.
A source familiar with the effort told Fox News that it was Cruz who orchestrated the effort, working with other senators to organize the push against the certification and call for the electoral commission with just days to go before the joint session of Congress.
The lawmakers say there is a precedent of Democrats objecting to election results in 1969, 2001, 2005 and 2019: “And, in both 1969 and 2005, a Democratic Senator joined with a Democratic House Member in forcing votes in both houses on whether to accept the presidential electors being challenged,” they say.
Cruz: I agreed to argue Pa. election case because US needs ‘resolution’. The senators and senators-elect are calling for Congress to appoint an Electoral Commission to conduct a 10-day emergency audit of the election returns in states where the results are disputed. They cite as precedent the 1877 between Samuel Hayes and Rutherford Hayes, where there were allegations of fraud in multiple states.
“In 1877, Congress did not ignore those allegations, nor did the media simply dismiss those raising them as radicals trying to undermine democracy,” the lawmakers say. “Instead, Congress appointed an Electoral Commission — consisting of five Senators, five House Members, and five Supreme Court Justices — to consider and resolve the disputed returns.”
“We should follow that precedent. To wit, Congress should immediately appoint an Electoral Commission, with full investigatory and fact-finding authority, to conduct an emergency 10-day audit of the election returns in the disputed states. Once completed, individual states would evaluate the Commission’s findings and could convene a special legislative session to certify a change in their vote, if needed,” they say.
Without that, they will vote against the certification.
“Accordingly, we intend to vote on January 6 to reject the electors from disputed states as not ‘regularly given’ and ‘lawfully certified’ (the statutory requisite), unless and until that emergency 10-day audit is completed,” they say in the statement.
It is unclear whether they will rally more Republicans to their cause, and the lawmakers note that most Democrats and some Republicans will vote to certify the results, but say that an audit would increase the public’s faith in the process.
“These are matters worthy of the Congress, and entrusted to us to defend. We do not take this action lightly. We are acting not to thwart the democratic process, but rather to protect it,” they say. “And every one of us should act together to ensure that the election was lawfully conducted under the Constitution and to do everything we can to restore faith in our Democracy.”
The new effort by the senators marks a major win for President Trump’s efforts to challenge the results of the election. Trump has repeatedly claimed he beat Biden, who flipped a number of red states including Georgia and Arizona to get over the 270 Electoral College votes needed to secure the White House.
Trump’s campaign has launched a number of legal challenges, while Trump himself has urged states with Republican governors and legislatures to overturn Biden’s victories — as he alleges widespread voter fraud tilted the scales to Biden.
Senate GOP leaders are against efforts to challenge Biden’s win, with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell recognizing the former vice president’s victory, and behind closed doors urging Senate Republicans not to contest the election results.
But if the GOP senators object, with a similar effort by House Republicans, the joint session of Congress would be dissolved and the House and Senate would then meet separately for two hours to debate a contested state’s electoral vote.
Each body would then vote whether to accept or reject that state’s slate of electoral votes. Then the House and Senate reconvene in the joint session.
In the House, at least 10 incoming House GOP freshmen will back Rep. Mo Brooks’ effort to object to the certification of the presidential election results on Jan. 6.
The last time this happened (and only the second time in U.S. history) was in January 2005, following President’ George W. Bush’s narrow reelection victory over Democratic challenger Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts. One Senate Democrat – Sen. Barbara Boxer of California – and one House Democrat – Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones – objected. In 2017, a handful of House Democrats objected to Trump’s victory over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, but no Senate Democrats joined them.
A state’s slate of electoral votes would only be thrown out if both the House and Senate vote to do so — something that is unlikely given the Democratic majority in the House, and the push by GOP Senate leaders to certify.
A resurgence of tuberculosis in the early twentieth century, which claimed countless lives internationally, led to the founding of the Boehne Tuberculosis Farm in an isolated area on Evansville’s West Side in 1908. The property was donated by then-Mayor John W. Boehne, after whom the hospital was formally named in 1924; in that year, Vanderburgh County also assumed ownership of the facility.
This photo was probably taken in the 1920s. It shows several buildings that included a residence for nurses, treatment centers, and a group of open-air tents (center of photo). Sunshine, fresh air, and a healthy diet were the most popular curative measures taken, and since Boehne Hospital was one of the first tuberculosis facilities in the area, many patients came from far and wide.
Boehne Hospital ended its long run as a tuberculosis treatment center in 1968. After that it briefly served drug and alcohol addicts before it was considered for possible use as college dormitories or a nursing home. Most of the property has since been razed, although at least one building survives.
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INDIANAPOLIS—U.S. Sen. Mike Braun, R-Indiana, and his fellow deep-thinking Republican colleagues in what once was the world’s greatest deliberative body are like dogs chasing cars.
John Krull, publisher, TheStatehouseFile.com
They don’t understand quite why they’re doing it.
And they know even less what they would do if they succeeded in their quest.
Braun is one of 12 GOP senators who have signed on to an effort to delay President-elect Joe Biden from taking up residence in the White House. The members of this brain trust say they will oppose accepting electoral college results from key battleground states. They hope to keep defeated President Donald Trump in office.
With one exception, these senators, including Braun, are among that once-august chamber’s dimmest bulbs. One of the 12, an intellectual giant from Alabama named Tommy Tuberville, made national news because he couldn’t name the three branches of the federal government.
The one exception to the low-wattage capacity of this crew is Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.
Cruz is bright, but—to borrow Sam Houston’s epic condemnation of Jefferson Davis—the Texas senator is “ambitious as Lucifer.â€
And even less likable than that fallen angel.
Cruz’s fellow Senate colleague Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, once joked about Cruz’s winning personality.
“If you killed Ted Cruz on the floor of the Senate, and the trial was in the Senate, nobody would convict you,†Graham said.
Part of what makes Cruz so charming is his willingness—no, eagerness—to sell out anyone, no matter how close to him, in service of his hunger to sit in the Oval Office.
He’s helping Trump maintain the delusion that he won the 2020 election. The Texas senator is carrying the flag for the president because Trump has been so kind to the Cruz family.
In 2016 GOP primaries, Trump accused Cruz’s father of being part of the plot to kill President John F. Kennedy. Then, for good measure, Trump said Cruz’s wife was ugly.
That’s right.
Donald Trump called Cruz’s father a murderer and insulted the man’s wife.
And Cruz’s response is to lick Trump’s boots and do his dirty work for him.
Those are some family values, huh?
Cruz at least has au understandable reason for signing on to this destructive fool’s errand. He made it clear long, long ago that he was willing to sell his soul—and at a discount—to climb the next rung on the ladder.
Lightweights like Braun are another story.
They’re doing it because they can’t seem to think of anything better—dealing with the pandemic, keeping Americans from losing their homes, etc.—to do with their time.
They reveal as much in the statement announcing their plans to obstruct the orderly transfer of power. They cite the “unprecedented allegations†of voter fraud in the presidential election.
The allegations in fact are unprecedented. Until now, senators who made allegations of crimes committed without proof faced censure.
Thus far, despite 60 lawsuits launched by Trump and his cronies and exhaustive recounts and investigations in all the battleground states, the only credible instances of voter fraud involve isolated schemes by Trump voters to have dead relatives cast ballots for their candidate.
The efforts of Cruz, Braun and the other members of their motley crew are likely to backfire.
Most immediately, they have made it much more difficult for Republicans to hold onto the two U.S. Senate seats—and thus control of the Senate—up for grabs in Georgia’s runoff election. Normally, a GOP victory in Georgia should be a sure thing, but Trump and his minions have turned those races into nail-biters.
If Cruz, Braun and their buddies cost Republicans the Senate, there won’t be much they can do to keep Biden and his fellow Democrats from pushing through their agenda.
Then there’s the larger problem Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, pointed out. Romney said this opens the door for any party to refuse to recognize any election outcome it doesn’t like.
And, last, there’s this. One way to eliminate the controversy and dismay over electoral votes in battleground states would be to have the winner of the presidency determined by popular vote.
Republicans have won the popular vote in presidential races exactly once since 1988.
But these are considerations only to people who think ahead.
Dogs chasing cars.
Ted Cruz, Mike Braun and company raising frivolous objections.
Same difference.
FOOTNOTE:  John Krull is director of Franklin College’s Pulliam School of Journalism and publisher of TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.
The City-County Observer posted this article without opinion, bias, or editing.
HEALTH DEPARTMENT UPDATES STATEWIDE COVID-19 CASE COUNTS
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Department of Health today announced that 3,630 additional Hoosiers have been diagnosed with COVID-19 through testing at state and private laboratories. That brings to 529,688 the number of Indiana residents now known to have had the novel coronavirus following corrections to the previous day’s dashboard.
A total of 8,150 Hoosiers are confirmed to have died from COVID-19, an increase of 39 from the previous day. Another 364 probable deaths have been reported based on clinical diagnoses in patients for whom no positive test is on record. Deaths are reported based on when data are received by the state and occurred over multiple days.
To date, 2,675,056 unique individuals have been tested in Indiana, up from 2,667,473 on Sunday. A total of 5,814,026 tests, including repeat tests for unique individuals, have been reported to the state Department of Health since Feb. 26.
The NCAA announced Monday that the entire men’s basketball tournament will be played at six venues in Indiana — including Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington.
“March Madness is a highlight event for all college basketball student-athletes and fans, and we are excited to welcome the tournament back to Bloomington for the first time since 1981,†IU Athletic Director Scott Dolson said in a release.
The other five host arenas for the tournament include Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indiana Farmers Coliseum, two courts inside Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis and Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana.
The majority of the tournament’s 67 games will take place in Indianapolis, according to the release.
“This is a historic moment for NCAA members and the state of Indiana,†NCAA President Mark Emmert said in a press release. “We have worked tirelessly to reimagine a tournament structure that maintains our unique championship opportunity for college athletes.â€
Selection Sunday is set for March 14, with preliminary round dates to be announced. The Final Four, which Indianapolis was already selected to host, will take place April 3 and 5.
“The 2021 version of March Madness will be one to remember, if for no other reason than the uniqueness of the event,†said NCAA Senior Vice President of Basketball Dan Gavitt in the release. “We’re fortunate to have neighbors and partners in Indianapolis and surrounding communities who not only love the game of basketball as much as anyone else in the country but have a storied history when it comes to staging major sporting events.â€
The NCAA will partner with a local health care provider to administer COVID-19 tests for players, coaching staffs, administrators and officials to create a controlled environment.
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